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200 Mexico's Bicentennial Celebrations.

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The Latin American independence wars were a series of armed conflicts in witch the Spanish colonies in America, fought in order to establish new independent nations. Facing King Ferdinand VII of Spain, the colonial authorities and supporters of the Spanish monarchy, these wars of independence had the character of civil war and international war (between nations). After 200 years, in Latin America, 10 countries celebrate their bicentennials: Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, El Salvador, Paraguay, Mexico and Venezuela.

In Mexico this great event is called by the name of The Bicentennial of the Independence or Mexico’s Bicentennial. History, color, music and energy are the main ingredients of the festivities that pretend to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the beginning of Mexico Independence. This celebrations are design with one purpose: Mexico's identity linking with his historic and continuity (know the past to create the future), and share it all over the world. In parallel, Mexico celebrates the centenary of the Mexican Revolution too. On 15 and September 16, 2010, will be the official days of the festival, although other events take place prior to these dates.

Highlighted among the many projects designed are exhibits of pre-Hispanic, Spanish, modern and contemporary Mexican art at the most important capitals of the world, historic routes, shows, publications, seminars, the opening of 10 new archeological sites, maintenance to the country’s most important pre-Hispanic sites and the remodeling of thirty museums. This work involves a complex museography and the consolidation of historic buildings in six states to commemorate the Independence and historic buildings in eight states to commemorate the Revolution.

The most visible preparation to date in Mexico itself is the appearance of “Ruta 2010” signs on many of the nation’s highways and roads in most Mexican states. These routes have been created to link monuments related to the two events as well as movements of armies and other key players of both the Bicentennial and Centennial. The Independence Road, which includes the Freedom Route, follows the path of Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla from Dolores Hidalgo, Guanajuato to Chihuahua state, passing through a number of other states such as Querétaro and Michoacán. This road traces the first campaigns of the War of Independence to the place of Hidalgo’s execution. The Feelings of a Nation Route, named after a famous document by José María Morelos y Pavón, follows his campaigns through the states of Michoacán, Guerrero, Oaxaca, Morelos, Mexico State, Puebla, Veracruz and Chiapas. The Route of the Three Guarantees maps out the campaigns fought by Agustín de Iturbide, who brought the War for Independence to a close in 1821. The runs from Iguala in Guerrero state to Mexico City. All of Mexico’s 31 states and the Federal District of Mexico City have set up their own Bicentennial/Centennial commissions, with the first meeting of state commissions in Dolores Hidalgo, Guanajuato, which has been declared the “Capital of the Bicentennial.”

On September 16, 2008, in the Zocalo of Mexico City. President Felipe Calderón launched the countdown clock for the Bicentennial celebrations of the Independence and Centennial of the Mexican Revolution in 2010. Similar countdown clocks are in the cities of Cuernavaca, Tlaxcala, Chilpancingo, Tepic.